Subject: M-I: In Memory Of Karl And Rosa (fwd)
From: jschulman-AT-juno.com (Jason A Schulman)
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 19:49:42 EST


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From: "Arm The Spirit (by way of warren-AT-igc.apc.org warren davis)"
<ats-AT-LOCUST.CIC.NET>
Subject: In Memory Of Karl And Rosa
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 15:30:10 -0500


In Memory Of Karl And Rosa

Many people may not know this, but the biggest annual demonstration by
the
German left is not the tradition May Day riot, but the "Karl And Rosa
Memorial Demo" in East Berlin. This year was no exception, as tens of
thousands of people braved the bitter cold to pay tribute to the memory
of
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, founders of the Communist Party of
Germany (KPD), who were murdered by fascists on January 15, 1919.

There was a political split within the left before this year's rally,
however. In 1996, there were some clashes with riot police during the
event
after police attacked Kurdish comrades who were carrying flags of the
outlawed National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK). Police threatened
to
attack the entire march this year. Fearing this, the leadership of the
Party
of Democratic Socialism (PDS), the political heirs of the KPD in Germany,
distanced themselves from the march and instead called for a "quiet
ceremony" at the Socialists' Memorial in Friedrichsfelde, East Berlin.
Tens
of thousands turned out to this event.

But more than 10,000 others, including many rank-and-file PDS members,
joined in the radical-left's protest demonstration through the streets of
East Berlin to the Socialists' Memorial. The demo was led by a
3,000-strong
militant anti-fascist bloc. Despite the threats beforehand, there were no
clashes with the police.

As the 1998 deadline looms, when imperialist Germany's capital will
revert
back from Bonn to Hitler's seat of power at the Reichstag in Berlin, the
city's right-wing administration is doing all it can to wipe out the
remnants of both the reformist and the militant left. But the Karl and
Rosa
demo is proof that there are still tens of thousands of Berliners who are
willing to take to the streets in honor of socialism.

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